


Not Fair

by Aly_san



Category: The Lorax (2012)
Genre: Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 06:45:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7747279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aly_san/pseuds/Aly_san
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He told himself he was happy with his newfound success.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Fair

He told himself it was great.

He told himself that he was happy with his newfound success. He had money, respect, fame, everything he never had before. All he was before was a little (metaphorically, of course, physically he was quite large) man with no friends and dreams too big to ever come true. Compared to how he was now, the man he used to be was _pathetic_.

Brett and Chet stood behind him, standing as straight as their naturally hunched backs would allow. Brett gave him a big ( _probably fake_ ) smile, and said “So, what should we do now, bro?” ( _They never call you ‘bro’ they never even call you by your name half the time let alone acknowledge that you’re related it isn’t real they don’t mean it_ )

Chet added, “Yeah, now that you got people to chop down them trees, ‘stead of us, we got nothin to do.” They still seemed to be of one ( _dumb_ ) mind, even when his mother whipped them into shape, to make them look and act professional ( _for the cameras to look good for the public to make sure we don’t lose money_ ).

“Uh, haha,” He stumbled on the words he was trying to script out in his brain, forcing a laugh to seem nonchalant and not let out all the thoughts in his head (trying to ignore the truth you know it’s true). “Hey guys, listen, uh,” He turned to face them, smiling as politely as he could (they never smiled at you why should you smile at them). “There are a lot of people working here now, and I know you guys already have a bigger paycheck than the others—“ ( _why are you paying them more what have they ever done_ ) ”—but maybe you shouldn’t call me…’bro’ anymore? Not during the work day, at least. I mean…I’m your boss first, your…” He faltered, “brother second, right? Gotta stay professional. You know.”

Brett and Chet gave big dumb, ‘aye-aye sir!’ smiles, and said, in unison, “You got it, Boss!”

He smiled ( _fake you’re as fake as they are fakefakefake_ ) and turned into his office, signaling for the twins to close the door behind him and leave him alone. Involuntarily, he heaved a sigh, and looked out his window at the slowly shrinking forest coating the smoggy landscape. Though, in reality, the forest was shrinking fast, way too fast. ( _it’ll be gone in no time at this rate I can still stop it I can I just have to_ )

He bit his lip and turned away, sitting at his desk instead, and making sure the large back of his chair was blocking out the landscape from him, and him from the landscape. He rested his elbows on the table, focusing his eyes on the blueprints spread on in front of him. Thneedville. It’ll be a great place. Clean, bright, comfortable. A place where everyone can be happy. ( _not if the trees are gone and the air and water are polluted if the barbaloots and humming fish and swomme swans can’t live here how can we_ ) He just needed to finish the blueprints, then make the model, and he can start building. It’ll be done in no time. ( _not soon enough_ )

He didn’t get to finish the model, though.

It sat on his desk, just moments away from completion, when the last tree fell.

It still sat there when his mother, brothers, and uncle, packed up and left, declaring him a disappointment. (you knew it would happen it was all just one big lie they never loved you they don’t care) It was still there when he, left with nothing else, retreated into his dark office and stared out over the empty, grey fields. The smog turned the sky purple, the slop turned the water black. It was unlivable. (you could have stopped this didn’t have to happen you didn’t need this fame) He grit his teeth and clenched his fists, digging his nails into the leather covering his fingers.

It wasn’t fair.

Why? Why couldn’t he have something great, just once? Why did the one time he actually became a success have to end like this, after only a few months? He worked so hard. He tried to get everyone to like him. He tried to get anyone to like his ideas. He tried to make something about him good, so just once, someone would respect him, just once!

“It’s not FAIR!”

Without thinking, he snatched up the unfinished model of Thneedville in his green hands, and threw it out the window.

He watched it as it plummeted through the smoggy air and hit the ground, breaking apart into small pieces, little plastic buildings bouncing off the concrete and skittering far away, little plastic signs breaking in half from the impact, the entire base of the model cracking apart.

Shattering to the ground, just like his dreams.

Just like his _life_.


End file.
